Reznikov and Budanov tell about Russian plan to seize Kyiv and reasons behind its failure 

Oleksii Reznikov and Kyrylo Budanov talked about this in the documentary A Year.

According to Budanov, the Russians' plan was to quickly land paratroopers, special forces units and rapidly enter Kyiv.

"We understood that there would be an attempt to seize the hills near the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, because it is convenient to make a helicopter landing there, and from there the accumulation of forces, the seizure of the government, parliament, etc. would follow," said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

In this situation, the most important thing was to delay the landing at the Hostomel airfield near Kyiv.

"The situation developed quickly. Hostomel suffered heavy losses at once, and after several battles they took control of the airfield, but then they were attacked by artillery," recalls Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence.

The speakers also described how the defense forces prevented the occupying Russian forces from landing planes at Boryspil and Kyiv airports in Zhuliany.

"Everything was mined, vehicles were placed upside down, and we also poured oil all over the runway, so landing was impossible," Reznikov said.

• In late August, it became known that the State Bureau of Investigation, on Zelenskyy's order, initiated a proceeding against Major General Serhiy Kryvonos, accusing him of illegally defending Kyiv’s airport in Zhuliany.

• Kryvonos was personally appointed by Zaluzhnyi to lead the defense of Kyiv Airport, given his experience in defending the airport in Kramatorsk in 2014.